


5 Times Tang Yi Made a Birthday Wish that Came True (+1 Wish Meng Shaofei Made For Him)

by juurensha



Category: HIStory3 - 圈套 | HIStory3: Trap
Genre: 5 Times, Birthday, Birthday Cake, Birthday Fluff, Birthday Party, Brother-Sister Relationships, Cooking, Don’t copy to another site, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Family Feels, Father-Son Relationship, Found Family, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Revenge, Wishes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2020-04-11 23:40:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19120087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juurensha/pseuds/juurensha
Summary: Tang Yi's birthday wishes throughout the years involving his family, friends, and a certain Officer Meng (who is stealing a wish for himself).





	5 Times Tang Yi Made a Birthday Wish that Came True (+1 Wish Meng Shaofei Made For Him)

**Author's Note:**

> So I knew that birthday scene was probably going to give me feels, but I didn't realize how many (did I tear up, yes, have I watched that scene lots of times, maybe).
> 
> Hope you enjoy this piece!

  1. Family



Even back when his adoptive mother had been alive, his adoptive father hadn’t wanted much to do with Tang Yi’s birthday celebrations. He had usually chosen instead to glower at the sidelines or just watch T.V. while his wife had happily bustled around Tang Yi and presented him with his birthday gift and cake.

Now though, he would be lucky if his adoptive father just ignored him instead of suddenly deciding to scream at him or throw the small slice of cake he managed to buy against the wall.

And Tang Yi knows that he’s only making the likelihood of a blowup happening go up as he jimmies a credit card around the side of the bedroom door, but he really—

He really wishes someone would smile at him on his birthday, and he really misses his adoptive mother, and there’s only one picture of the two of them, and it’s locked in that room.

He’s not going to get any other birthday gifts after all.

It’s a work of a few minutes to find the picture jammed into the back of a drawer (he knew it wouldn’t be anywhere in plain sight), and then he’s rushing back to his own room to prop it up in front of the slice of cake he had bought and light a candle and make a wish.

_Mama, if you can see me, I wish that—I could have a family again. It’s not that I want to replace you—definitely not! It’s just that—it would be nice if someone could be happy for me on my birthday again._

_Maybe my biological mother?_

And then of course his adoptive father barges in to ruin everything again, and he runs away because he can’t take it anymore.

(Even being alone has to be better than to be stuck with someone who so obviously despises him.)

It’s rough, being a kid on the streets on his own, and it’s hard enough to just scrounge and fight for food and shelter, let alone think about having a family.

(It was a stupid wish anyway.

His biological mother has never given anything to him besides one cake and a weird box he can’t open.)

But then—he finds Zuo Hongye (or as she would always argue, she found him) who latches onto him quickly and is a bright spot in a dark world, and then Tang- _ye_ finds both of them and takes them in.

He was highly suspicious at first (what did a shady gangster want with two street kids?), not even eating any of the food Tang- _ye_ made without watching him eat some of it first (what if it was drugged? There’s bad stories of what happens when grown men take in street kids), but as time went by, and Tang- _ye_ treated both him and Hongye with nothing but kindness, he slowly began to relax.

It really didn’t feel real to him sometimes, waking up in a large, soft bed when for a while there, an abandoned shed would have been a luxury.  

Tang- _ye_ figures out all his favorite things to eat and personally cooks them, buys both him and Hongye a whole wardrobe of new clothes, sends them both off to the best schools, patiently listens and helps them with homework at night when he’s not busy, and by the time he brings out a cake and party hats and promises Tang Yi that he will celebrate his birthday with him every year from now on, Tang Yi already knows his desperate wish in that lonely room has been fulfilled.

It’s not what he had imagined at the time, but he will fight to the death to keep it now.

 

  1. Xing Tian Meng Becoming Legitimate



Tang Yi has always been aware that Xing Tian Meng is involved in a great deal of shady business like any other gang, but almost as soon as he and Hongye became a part of it, they learn that Tang- _ye_ wished to turn Xing Tian Men into a legitimate business.

He had wondered if it had anything to do with Tang- _ye_ taking the two of them in, but Daoyi- _ge_ reassured them that this has been a long-held dream of Tang- _ye_ ’s.

He will admit that while he hated the drug part of the business (the dirty things that turned people into monsters and brutes), he hadn’t been sure about Tang- _ye’_ s direction at first.

Could a gang really go legit?

Could they really transition all their business, and more than that, would the rest of the Xing Tian Meng even be willing to do so?

It just didn’t seem realistic to him.

“Perhaps, but worthwhile things are rarely easy to accomplish,” Tang- _ye_ said, taking the gnocchi off of the stove and plating it in a dish.

“How do you know it’s worth it though?” Tang Yi asked, taking the plate and bringing it to the table.

Tang- _ye_ gave a rueful smile, taking off his apron and sitting down, “Some of your uncles have asked the same question. I suppose—it’s true, Xing Tian Meng has done well for itself over the years, but at what cost? I’m not even talking about the brothers who knew what they were getting into, but there has been—innocent blood shed and lives ruined with our business, and I don’t want to do that anymore.”

(Tang Yi doesn’t want that either.

Besides all the misery he’s seen on the streets from drugs and guns, he also doesn’t want any of this business to somehow taint Hongye.)

“Some of the uncles still want to though?” Tang Yi asked with a frown, looking at Tang- _ye_.

Tang- _ye_ shrugged, “It’s hard for them to imagine a different way of life, but I think I can get most of them around. As long as most of them support me, the rest will have to fall in line.”

“I’ll help you too,” Tang Yi had said resolutely.

Tang- _ye_ beamed and reached out a hand to ruffle Tang Yi’s hair, “Well, with your support, how can I fail?”

Tang Yi smiled back at Tang- _ye,_ and on his next birthday, he clasps his hands together in front of the cake Tang- _ye_ had baked for him and earnestly makes his wish.

_Please let Xing Tian Meng become a successful, legitimate business and let Tang-ye realize his dream._

A couple of years later, around the same time that Tang Yi is about to enter college (National Taiwan University, and Tang- _ye_ had prepared a feast of all his favorite foods when he had managed to test into it, and he’s not sure if Tang- _ye_ or Hongye were prouder of him), Xing Tian Meng has gotten rid of nearly all of its drug business and signs the papers to own a plastics manufacturing business instead.

Tang- _ye’s_ smile is in danger of splitting his head as he looks over all the paperwork with Daoyi - _ge,_ and both Tang Yi and Hongye are also looking over some of the papers.

“Congratulations, Tang- _ye_ ,” Tang Yi says with a smile, looking at Tang- _ye._

Tang- _ye_ laughs, “This is just the start. By the time you graduate, you’ll have your pick of legitimate businesses to start working in.”

“Is Tang Yi going to be automatically in charge, or does he have to start at the bottom?” Hongye pipes up.

“He’ll start at the bottom, but I have no doubt that soon he’ll be calling the shots,” Tang- _ye_ says, smiling at both of them, “Sooner or later, he’ll be ordering me around too! And then Hongye, just in time you’ll graduate and knock some sense into Xiao Tang.”

Hongye nods with a grin, “Someone has to keep Tang Yi in line!”

“I’m right here you know,” Tang Yi says, rolling his eyes, “Besides—Lao Tang, we’ll always follow your lead.”

Tang- _ye’s_ eyes look suspiciously red as he coughs and reaches out to pat both of their heads, “I appreciate that, but this old man would like to eventually retire, so both of you, please work hard.”

“Yes!” they chorus together.

 

  1. Hong Ye Doing Well



Hongye has always been somewhat dramatic (“You’re just too stoic, Tang Yi!”), but entering high school seemed to have pushed her to new heights.

(Not that of course, Hongye didn’t have valid reasons for some of her dramatics. Tang Yi is well aware that her life as one of the few women of Xing Tian Meng is wrought with challenges different from his own, despite all of Tang- _ye_ ’s efforts to the contrary.)

Every weekend he comes back home from college, Hongye seems to have a new grievance to air, and his birthday weekend had been no exception.

“They say I’m too bossy to be class representative,” Hongye fumed, throwing herself in the seat across the kitchen counter from Tang Yi, “Isn’t that the whole _point_ of a class representative?”

“You are pretty bossy,” Tang Yi said before holding up his hands as Hongye mimed swiping at him, “But I think that’s a great quality in a class representative! You can channel your powers for good.”

“They wouldn’t be complaining about it if I was a guy,” Hongye said darkly, nails tapping against the countertop.

“Probably,” Tang Yi admits, “On the plus side though—they’ll probably underestimate you.”

Hongye’s pinched expression smoothed out a bit, “And then I can launch my devastating volley of attacks?” she suggested hopefully.

“They’ll never see you coming,” Tang Yi nodded sagely.

“It’d be nice if I could pick my vice-representative though,” Hongye said, examining her nails, “The other candidates are so boring.”

“Who would you want to choose?” Tang Yi asked.

Hongye propped her head on her hand, “I like Cheng Youqing really, but if she’s my vice-representative, we’d always be fighting for control. Li Daren is only running because Cheng Youqing wants him as her vice-representative, so that’s a no-go. Wish I had someone like that—it’d be nice if there was someone like Daoyi- _ge_ in the running.”

“Someone who obediently follows and anticipates your every order and whim?” Tang Yi asked, pouring some tea for both of them.

Hongye snorted, taking the cup of tea from Tang Yi, “You make Daoyi- _ge_ sound like my servant!” she complained, “I don’t treat him that badly! Besides, you give orders to him too, sometimes!”

“I’m not the one telling him to constantly buy me ice cream and make me tea,” Tang Yi said drily.

“I’ll have you know he gets me ice cream on his own, and you’re way too picky about your tea,” Hongye sniffed, taking a sip of tea, “You take _hours.”_

“‘Tea and business both take patience and perseverance,’” Tang Yi quoted at her, drinking his own tea.

Hongye rolled her eyes, “Why does everything descend into food metaphors with you and Lao Tang?”

“Because food is life,” Tang Yi pointed out.

Hongye sighed, “I guess so, but—food is so much more straightforward than life.”

Tang Yi frowned, leaning forward, “Is something else wrong? Besides the class representative elections.”

“Nothing’s wrong, everything’s great,” Hongye groused, her finger drawing patterns on the countertop, “I have lots of ideas to get the vote—Xiaoxiao can probably convince her volleyball-obsessed boyfriend to stop trying to recruit teammates and help out for at least a little bit—Lao Tang has an idea about an internship for me over the summer, and Daoyi- _ge’s_ new girlfriend is great.”

(Ah. That.

Tang Yi could sort of get why Hongye has a crush on Daoyi- _ge_ , but she’s just a teenager, and he’s way older than both of them.

Thankfully, Daoyi- _ge_ seems to be busy just ignoring Hongye’s burgeoning emotions, so Tang Yi won’t have to help Tang- _ye_ skin him.

Still—he does feel bad for Hongye.)

“I’m not sure how serious Daoyi- _ge_ is about her,” Tang Yi offered, “And also how much she really wants to get involved with the gangster’s way of life.”

Hongye sniffed, “If you date a gangster, of course you should be willing to get involved with the gangster’s way of life! You don’t really love someone unless you’re willing to bear their burdens.”

“Wow, that’s so deep,” Tang Yi deadpanned.

“It’s better than all your food metaphors,” Hongye said, lightly hitting his arm, “And you know I’m right.”

“As you usually are,” Tang Yi agreed.

“If that’s so—why won’t most people listen?” Hongye asked, “It’s—hard sometimes. Being the only voice of reason around here.”

(And he knows she’s half-joking, but she’s also half-serious.

Life has always been hard for Hongye.

Obviously it’s better now than back on the streets, but she has always had to fight harder than him for respect in this world.)

“Sorry,” Hongye said, waving a hand dismissively, “It’s your birthday weekend, I shouldn’t just start complaining.”

“But then how would I know it’s you?” Tang Yi teased, dodging Hongye’s swat before becoming serious again, “However—I believe in you. You’ll make them listen.”

“You think so?” Hongye asked, peering closely at him, a smile breaking out across her face.

“I know so,” Tang Yi said firmly.

The rest of his birthday weekend went swimmingly, with cake, good food, and Tang- _ye_ and Hongye happily singing and giving him presents (a fancy watch from Tang- _ye_ and a set of shiny earrings from Hongye), but Tang Yi still remembered Hongye’s concerns when he makes his birthday wish.

_Please let Hongye have a happy, comfortable, and satisfying future ahead of her._

And he thinks that wish worked, since by the time she graduates from college (also National Taiwan University), she’s president of the Business Association, is graduating summa cum laude with a flawless GPA, and has recruiters begging her to join their companies.

“As if I would join anything but Shihai Group,” she confides in him.

“You did do that internship at McKinsey,” he reminds her.

She waves a dismissive hand, “Soulless hacks, all of them. At least at Shihai Group, I know which people are likely to stab me in the back.”

“None of whom would ever be permitted to be near you,” Daoyi- _ge_ interjects.

Hongye beams at Daoyi- _ge_ , “And there’s also Daoyi- _ge_ here to watch my back!”

“I will endeavor to do my best,” Daoyi- _ge_ murmurs, slightly smiling and adjusting his glasses.

For the past few years, Daoyi- _ge_ has lacked any serious girlfriends, which makes Hongye happy even if he still seems to keep a careful, studied distance between them.

(It’s slightly less likely now that Tang- _ye_ would want to skin Daoyi- _ge_ for making a move, but Tang Yi doesn’t blame Daoyi- _ge_ for still maintaining the boundary between him and Hongye.

Still—he knows that Daoyi- _ge_ cares deeply for Hongye, and whether or not that could eventually blossom to love—well, he’s certainly not the person to ask, he’s only had a string of casual lovers, and no one has ever engrossed him the way Hongye obsesses over Daoyi- _ge._

Either ways, seeing Hongye grinning up at Daoyi- _ge_ carefully adjusting her graduation cap as Tang- _ye_ takes photos, he thinks that she’s well on her way to a good life.)

 

  1. Revenge



Waking up in a haze of pain and Dr. Jiang’s murmurs by his ear, he wanted to at first believe that everything had been a fleeting nightmare, until he saw the lighter set at his bedside, and everything came crashing down.

“Tang- _ye_ ,” he rasps out, flailing an arm out and managing to grab the edge of Dr. Jiang’s coat, “Where’s Tang- _ye_?”

“Calm down, calm down, Tang Yi,” Dr. Jiang says calmly, pushing him back onto the bed, “You’ve had a major surgery—it was pretty touch and go there at some points—”

“Where’s Tang- _ye_?” he repeats.

Dr. Jiang pauses, biting his lip, and Tang Yi doesn’t have to ask any more questions, he knows.

Tang- _ye_ is really dead.

(He has utterly failed the one person who has always believed in him and taught him so much and given him a home.)

Recovery and the funeral all pass in a blur of pain, silence, and tears, with Hongye sitting next to him, doing all the crying and screaming he wishes he could also indulge in.

(He’s now the head of Xing Tian Meng, and the boss of Xing Tian Meng has to be untouchable.)

The only thing that stands out from the sheer white noise and depths of his grief is a police officer named Meng Shaofei, who barges in demanding answers to what happened and seems to have been the protégé of the policewoman who had also died with Tang- _ye._

Even if Xing Tian Meng is trying to go clean, that doesn’t mean that their business can be taken care of by the police, so he stubbornly maintains that he remembers nothing (if only), no matter how much Officer Meng blusters and even starts following him around.

Still, even the irritation that Officer Meng brings with him is at least a break from the grim work of taking over Xing Tian Meng and slapping down the members who think he’s a young upstart.

(He may be, but he made a promise to Tang- _ye_ to continue his quest of cleaning up Xing Tian Meng, so everyone else can shut up and sit down.)

There’s some days that all he wants to do is curl up in a ball and have someone just hold him for a minute (Hongye is constantly hugging him when she can, but she’s also busy taking over the Shihai Group, and it feels like a sign of weakness to ask one of his random flings to do that), but there is business to be done, so all he can do is grit his teeth and push forward.

Cooking should be a solace, but cooking was something that he had always done with Tang- _ye_ , and now—

(Now he can never present Tang- _ye_ a meal that surpasses his own.)

It’s months before he can turn on the stove in the kitchen without breaking down in tears that he has to quickly wipe away, and he only managed to take out his careful notes on all of Tang- _ye_ ’s recipes because Meng Shaofei had taken to following him into restaurants and trying to interrogate him there, and so the only way he can eat spicy sausage gnocchi in peace is if he makes it himself.

The gnocchi is fine, but—

(Tang- _ye_ is no longer here to try a bite and then cough and reach for a glass of water, complaining that Tang Yi must have burned off all of his taste buds by now.)

Still, even with everything that has been taken away from him, life goes on, and before he knows it, it’s his birthday again.

A cake seems entirely inappropriate with Tang- _ye_ gone, and besides, Tang Yi probably couldn’t choke down any even if he bought one. Instead, he spends his birthday by himself (Hongye had wanted to come back from Norway, but this was an essential meeting for the Shihai group, so he had insisted on her staying), drawing out his box of memorabilia and a photo of him and Tang- _ye_ taken not long after his college graduation.

He props it next to the box his birth mother had given him and stares at both of them.

_Tang-ye, I promise you with my birth mother and adoptive mother as witness, I will get revenge for you._

_Chen Wenhao will pay for what he stole from you._

And it’s nearly three long years later, full of scuffles, long nights, and an ever-growing number of lawsuits (most of those against Officer Meng who won’t fucking back off—not that it stops him. These days if he manages to go anywhere without seeing Officer Meng and his annoying tuft of hair that constantly sticks out from the side of his head, it’s actually a little strange) when he’s cut off most of Chen Wenhao’s supply lines and is on the verge of cornering the few allies he had left in Taiwan.

Officer Meng even comes in handy for that; the great thing about having a police officer constantly nipping at your heels is that setting up arrests of other gang leaders comes down to a matter of just figuring out the correct timing and showing up.

Revenge is in sight, and he’s pretty sure that Wan Kuncheng is one of the last pieces he needs to bring Chen Wenhao scurrying here from Cambodia.

Hongye is doing a fantastic job running Shihai group, so Xing Tian Meng is well on its way to legitimacy, and he will do nothing to ruin her progress, but other than that—

He’s honestly not sure if he’s going to make it out alive, and even if he does, he may be arrested.

Still, maybe then for once, both he and Officer Meng can be pleased.

What matters is that he fulfils his promise to Tang- _ye_ at long last.

 

  1. Love



Between running Xing Tian Meng, keeping an eye on Shihai Group business, plotting out his revenge, and attempting to dodge Officer Meng, Tang Yi rarely gives a thought to romance besides the occasional roll in the sheets with someone to just relieve some stress and forget about all his worries.

Still, his most common bedmate Shi Lingyi had fallen for her T.V. series costar, so they had amicably ended their arrangement, and then Andy got a boyfriend he’s wild about and disgustingly in love with, so he’s been—considering the idea maybe.

(It would be nice really, to have someone to depend on and lean on.

Someone he could trust to watch his back and that he could cook for.

Someone he could speak honestly to and not keep any secrets from.

But—he had still never met anyone that would make him just want to spend a nice, ordinary life with the way Tang- _ye_ had said he would.

It could just be another thing that he would have to disappoint Tang- _ye_ about.)

“Well, I know you’re never going to find anyone as wonderful as me, but I would still feel better if I could trust the people in your bed,” Andy says, sipping his strawberry daiquiri.

“You liked Lingyi,” Tang Yi reminds him.

“Yeah, but she’s not there anymore, is she?” Andy replies archly, “Too bad—she was fun, you should have locked that down.”

“We both had fun, but being with her was kind of like being with you,” Tang Yi says seriously.

“Which is really the highest compliment anyone could give, but something a bit more serious would be good for you too,” Andy says lightly.

Tang Yi gives him a look, “I can’t believe you’re the one telling me to settle down with someone—getting a boyfriend really has changed you.”

Andy preens, “My hubby is so good to me. It’s only fair that I want my friends to be so happy as well.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a little too busy to get involved in a serious relationship,” Tang Yi says, scanning the club, “I’ll probably just pick someone to take home tonight.”

“It’s really obnoxious how you act like you could pick up anyone here,” Andy complains.

Tang Yi just lifts an eyebrow, “You think I can’t?”

“I know you can, that’s why it’s so obnoxious,” Andy grumbles, “You have a lot of hot subordinates. Some of them are as dumb as rocks, but there’s some sharp ones there too. Like that new one of yours—the scary hot, smiling one.”

“Jack?” Tang Yi shakes his head, “No, that won’t do. Ah-De already dislikes him a lot; it wouldn’t be good to give him another reason.”

“Don’t go for Ah-De, he gives me the creeps,” Andy says, shuddering dramatically, “Yeah, he’s not really your type anyway. You usually like them hot, smart, and energetic, talking a mile a minute—what about that police officer that’s always following you around?”

“Officer _Meng_?” Tang Yi makes a face, “Please. Didn’t you just say that you wanted someone you trusted in my bed?”

Andy shrugs, “I’ve only seen him once or twice, but he seems like the type that would be pretty devoted if you managed to seduce him. Plus, he’s pretty hot and definitely energetic given how long he’s been chasing you.”

“In case you’ve forgotten, he’s a cop, and I’m a gangster,” Tang Yi says, neatly setting his negroni to the side, “Even if that weren’t the case, it’d never happen. We don’t get along.”

(And that’s the understatement of the year.

He can’t think of a single time that he and Officer Meng have met—usually because Officer Meng is once again stalking him and yelling for him to tell him the truth—that hasn’t ended in either a giant argument or a lawsuit.

They’ve cursed each other out in the streets and in the middle of court, Officer Meng has pointed his gun at Tang Yi more than once, and sometimes Tang Yi itches to do the same.

Still—Andy isn’t entirely wrong that Officer Meng is kind of attractive. His ears are too big, he flails too much, and he has that annoying tuft of hair that is constantly sticking out, but sometimes in the middle of yet another round of interrogation from the police officer, he will idly wonder what it would be like to trace Officer Meng’s well-defined cheekbones with his tongue.

Would he freak out?

Maybe not; Tang Yi has already noticed the way the other man flushes when he crowds into him—and yes, fine, maybe there’s some chemistry there, and the hate-sex would probably be electric, but it’s definitely not worth Hongye attempting to kill him since she’s the one who has had to process most of the legal documents, or Officer Meng most likely thinking that this gave him some sort of advantage and then trying to interrogate him in bed.

He’ll just have to indulge his fantasies of hand-cuffing the police officer and making him shut up by kissing him in his own head.)

“Stranger things have happened, and you shouldn’t say never,” Andy says blithely, finishing off his drink, “Karma could hear you and slap you in the face.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not how karma works. You’ve been reading too many shitty webnovels again,” Tang Yi says, barely managing to restrain rolling his eyes.

Andy pouts and complains, and they move onto other subjects, but later, on yet another birthday by himself (Hongye had wanted to throw him a party, but he had demurred, so they had compromised with just sharing an ice cream cake), a little maudlin and maybe a bit drunk (he had also had to put up with Hongye’s birthday toasts that had really just devolved into shots), he makes his wish.

_Someone who sees me clearly and still loves me, someone I can love and adore and just spend an ordinary life with wouldn’t be too bad._

And not even a year later, after getting shot at, hand-cuffed together, having to carry his feverish body down the hill, getting his lighter returned back from him, and agreeing to be “half-friends” (he’s pretty sure he pulled the exact same face as Hongye when Meng Shaofei said that), Tang Yi is sitting here on top of a roof in a daze after being kissed and happily confessed to by Meng Shaofei.

He can’t believe what a wide grin Meng Shaofei had sported as he pointed at him and exuberantly yelled that he was going to chase after him.

He had been too dumbfounded to even make a quip about how that’s what the police officer had already spent four years doing anyway.

Then again, Meng Shaofei has never done what he had ever expected him to do. That was why he had enjoyed poking at him so much these past few weeks, starting with making out with Andy in front of him and ending up with that sexy massage.

(He had genuinely felt bad about shoving Meng Shaofei back hard enough to bruise, but he will also admit that it had been nice to get his hands on the police officer’s muscles.

Meng Shaofei has a slim waist and a lithe build, but he definitely works out.)

Is he—is he really in love with Meng Shaofei?

He finds him interesting, yes, he always has, and he’s told him things about his past that he’s never bothered to tell anyone else, and when he had realized Meng Shaofei had been shot while protecting Hongye, his heart had stuttered to a stop.

(He doesn’t know when Meng Shaofei managed to worm his way so thoroughly into his life that imagining a world without him is almost as bad as when he realized Tang- _ye_ was gone.)

He’s never been in love, so he’s not sure what it feels like, but—

(Maybe it’s laughter and shared jokes and held glances and understanding of who the other person is and still liking them.

Maybe it’s cooking and eating together and quiet, rambling conversations at night and knowing you won’t be judged.

Maybe it’s teasing the other person and wanting to not only take them to bed but to care for them and see them safe.

Is this what Tang- _ye_ had meant about enjoying an ordinary life together?)

He’s still not completely clear, but he knows that—at the very least, he wants to try it with him.  

If Meng Shaofei wants to chase him despite all the dangers he’s experienced just hanging around him and knowing who Tang Yi is, then—how can he refuse him?

Either ways—Andy was going to be laughing like a hyena when he heard about this.

 

* +1 Meng Shaofei: Spending Every Birthday at Tang Yi’s Side

After four years of chasing the man around, of course Shaofei knows his birthday. He had even through the years on that day sometimes sarcastically wished the drawing of Tang Yi he had pinned up, ‘Happy Birthday.’ (He’s well-aware that his drawing skills are not perhaps the best, but every single photo they had of Tang Yi looked like something out of a photoshoot or a glamour shot. Zhaozi wasn’t wrong that Tang Yi could make a killing as an idol).

He had assumed that Tang Yi would have a small, discreet birthday party (hopefully Andy wasn’t invited), but after asking around, it seemed like nothing was planned. Even Zuo Hongye, who did have a birthday present ready, had nothing in the works because of Tang Yi ordering them to be in a lockdown mode (not that of course Zuo Hongye told him that; she had just glared at him. It had been Gu Daoyi who had quietly informed him of his boss’ plans).  

Well, that couldn’t be let to stand. Even before Tang Yi had told him about how Tang Guodong had adopted him and celebrated his birthday with him, Shaofei would have at least tried to do something for his birthday, given their new, budding relationship (he still catches himself just giddily grinning off into space about it, but come on, Tang Yi is both alarmingly hot, deadly smart, and deep down, surprisingly sweet).

He had no idea how to make a cake (look, police work is busy, and the street food near his place is stellar, so he’s never had to learn to cook), but there’s a pastry shop nearby that Yu Qi had heavily recommended to him before. Thankfully, the place does rush and custom orders when presented with enough cash (he’s saved a lot of money just by eating all the food Tang Yi makes), and soon, there’s a vanilla buttercream birthday cake with their two figures drawn on it packaged into a nice box for him.

He’s pleased with the way the figures turned out, although as he’s sneaking through Tang Yi’s palatial house with it, he does have a moment of misgiving about if it’s really fancy enough.

(Tang Yi has probably had a lot of fancy cakes right?

And given Tang Yi’s skills in the kitchen, Tang Guodong probably could bake a mean cake as well.

Well—this is his best effort on short notice, and hopefully, Tang Yi will appreciate that.)

Tang Yi seems to appreciate it so much that there’s tears in his eyes (if you had asked Shaofei a year ago, he would have maintained that Tang Yi was a robot whose only programmed emotions were anger and sarcasm and knew only of tears as a thing that happened to other people).

He looks—honestly happier than Shaofei has ever seen him (although that’s probably not saying much since before these past few crazy weeks, most of his time spent with Tang Yi has been him yelling at him to tell the truth and getting sued by him), and Shaofei wants so badly just to embrace him and kiss him.

(If he’s being extremely honest with himself, he will admit that over the years, after especially frustrating days facing off against Tang Yi, there have been a couple of interesting, heated dreams involving entirely inappropriate usage of his handcuffs. He had argued with himself at the time that it didn’t mean anything—Tang Yi was super hot, he didn’t have time to really pursue anyone else given all the time he was spending chasing Tang Yi down for answers, and he had a few wires crossed, so what?

Now—well, he’s fully embraced being extremely attracted to Tang Yi.

There’s the physical part of course—the handcuffs are definitely on the table, although he’s going to have to find a pair that’s less likely to cut into either of their wrists—but there’s also the part where Tang Yi cooking for him and confiding in him makes his heart seem to swell too big for his chest.

He loves the way Tang Yi will quietly sit and listen to him prattle away, adding in his own sarcastic quips every once in a while, his eyes fond and looking at him.

Ever since he admitted his feelings out loud, he’s known that he’s completely, irrevocably fallen in love with Tang Yi. 

He knows that Tang Yi still has some worries about really letting him in, and all he wants to ease them as best he can.)

There’s a music box on Tang Yi’s desk that is strangely like Li Zhen- _jie_ ’s, but more importantly, there’s a silly birthday hat he can cajole Tang Yi into wearing (he has no right to look as cute as he does in it). He carefully sneaks a photo of Tang Yi in the hat (he’ll print it out and stick it in his wallet), and then he can’t help but steal a wish as well.

“From now on, I wish that I will spend every birthday by your side.”

Tang Yi’s dazzling smile at that wish is something that Shaofei will tuck inside him to keep himself warm for the rest of his life (along with the rest of the night because good god, Tang Yi is a sex god, and he’s still pinching himself that he’s really here, snuggled up against this wonderful, impossible man).

And after dealing with that piece of shit Li Zhide (when he figured out what Li Zhide had done and planned to do to Tang Yi, he really was tempted to throw him back into Tang Yi’s brutal justice since Tang Yi was the one who was wronged), the bombshell of Tang Yi’s true parentage, figuring out the truth behind both Li Zhen- _jie_ ’s and Tang Guodong’s deaths, getting shot again (maybe it was payback for all the times he pointed his gun at Tang Yi, although he feels like he’s paid that back with interest now), and convincing Tang Yi that an ordinary life is both what Tang Guodong wanted for him and worth setting aside his revenge for, here they are a year later, at a nice birthday party for Tang Yi, with Shaofei carefully setting out the not-too-sweet birthday cake he had prepared (and trying to not show his nervousness about the other present he had prepared).

“What did you wish for?” he asks, poking Tang Yi’s arm to burn off some his own jitters.

Tang Yi smiles at him, eyes soft and fond, “If I tell you, it won’t come true.”

“I told you my wish last year, and it’s coming true right now, isn’t it?” Shaofei points out.

Tang Yi hums in agreement, “You were always an exception to the rules.”

Hongye rolls her eyes, “If you guys are done sweet-talking each other, I actually want some cake.”

“Hey, just because Daoyi- _ge_ is out of town, doesn’t mean you should take it out on us!” Shaofei protests, “And the cake is for Tang Yi!”

Tang Yi simply chuckles and cuts out a piece out for Hongye, “I can’t possibly eat all the cake myself, Shaofei.”

“Not even a cake your boyfriend painstakingly made for you?” he asks, widening his eyes in the way he knows makes Tang Yi weak.

Tang Yi raises an eyebrow, “I haven’t seen my kitchen on fire recently; did Jack help you?”

Shaofei gently shoves him, “I’m not that bad—and maybe Jack helped. A little! I did all the hard work.”

“I’m sure,” Tang Yi says, stepping up to him and giving him a lingering kiss before whispering in his ear, “Do you really want to know what I wished for?”

“Yeah,” Shaofei says breathlessly back (it’s hard not to be overwhelmed when Tang Yi goes into seduction mode).

Tang Yi kneels down on the ground (wait, what), pulls out a black velvet box (oh my god), and opens it to reveal a simple golden band etched with elegant engravings (oh my _god_ ).

He smiles earnestly up at Shaofei, his hands only just barely trembling, “I wished that you would spend the rest of your life with me, Meng Shaofei. Will you marry me?”

(He’s simultaneously so happy he could just burst like a firework and so annoyed that he wants to shove Tang Yi up against a wall and angrily make out with him for a bit.

Tang Yi has completely messed up his plan.)

“Zhao Zi!” Shaofei calls out.

Tang Yi’s face immediately stiffens, and his expression grows cold, “What?”

A ceiling tile falls down, and Zhao Zi starts squeezing himself out of the rafters, tossing down his cellphone, “A-Fei, that wasn’t the signal, was it? You told me to wait until you started singing—”

“Zhao Zi, the present,” Shaofei says, holding out his hand.

Zhao Zi sighs, digs into his pocket, and tosses Shaofei a small black velvet box, and Tang Yi’s eyes widen.

“You—”

“Yeah, I had this whole plan where Zhao Zi was going to leap out with sparklers as a distraction, then toss me the ring, and then I’d propose,” Shaofei says sheepishly also getting onto one knee and opening the box to reveal a simple platinum band (that had taken nearly all of his yearly bonus plus a couple months’ worth of paychecks, but it was worth it), “You kind of—stole my moment and what I was going to say though.”

“…you still haven’t answered me,” Tang Yi manages to get out, his eyes suspiciously shiny (not that Shaofei’s were any better; his nose was about to run and ruin everything because snot was not supposed to be on the agenda today).

Shaofei grins back at him, “I already promised to spend all of your birthdays at your side, how could you think I would say anything but yes? And you haven’t answered me!”

“You haven’t asked anything yet,” Tang Yi says, gently taking Shaofei’s hand and carefully sliding the gold ring onto his finger.

“Would you do the honor of making your half-a-friend your husband?” Shaofei manages to say, clutching at Tang Yi’s hand.

Tang Yi instead of answering him, grabs him by the collar and crushes their mouths together, taking the box from Shaofei’s nerveless hands and placing the platinum band onto his own hand.

Shaofei laughs into Tang Yi’s mouth (he’s always kind of an asshole, and Shaofei loves him for it), and he only draws away to examine the ring Tang Yi has placed on his finger more closely. The wavy engravings turn out to be calligraphy, with the characters of his name entwining with those of Tang Yi’s.

Zhao Zi comes over to eagerly look as Hongye also approaches Tang Yi’s side.

“Let me see,” she says, taking Tang Yi’s hand and peering closely at the ring, “It’s nice, subtle. I suppose Tang Yi’s taste has managed to rub off onto you after all,” she says with a sniff.

“Don’t worry, Daoyi- _ge_ will eventually propose to you,” Shaofei says with as much saccharine sweetness he can muster (which is a lot really because he is _so, so, so happy_ right now).

Hongye simply flicks her hair to the side, “He’ll do a better job than you just did.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault your brother got in the way of my awesome proposal plan!” Shaofei protests as Zhao Zi takes a photo of Shaofei’s and Tang Yi’s intertwined hands.

“Consider it payback for all the time you’ve interrupted me in the office,” Tang Yi interjects with a smirk at Shaofei.

“I definitely already paid you back for those times,” Shaofei says blandly (let’s just say that thank god Tang Yi’s office has frosted glass), hooking his arms around Tang Yi’s neck, “What, you don’t like your present?”

Tang Yi leans forward to kiss his nose, “I love it. But doesn’t it count as a gift for you too?”

“Yeah,” Shaofei admits, shifting in Tang Yi’s arms, “You okay with sharing?”

“Everything that is mine is yours, including myself,” Tang Yi says seriously, pressing his forehead against Shaofei’s.

Hongye ushers Zhao Zi out quickly (“Let’s call Jack and Daoyi and tell them everything they missed.”), and Shaofei surges forward to capture Tang Yi’s mouth with his own.

(Sometimes he still wonders that this is really real, that Li Zhen- _jie’_ s lethal, deadly son who stole his heart has offered him his own surprisingly tender heart in return.

Karma may have slapped him, but he’s quite enjoying the results.

He knows that on this birthday, and every birthday after, he will simply have one wish: to spend the rest of his life with Tang Yi by his side, with this strange but wonderful mixed family they have made of ex-gangsters and cops.)

**Author's Note:**

> Did you like it? How was the proposal? (Was it nice after the last episode?) Was everyone in character? Please leave comments/kudos!
> 
> I don't know what Tang Yi's name was before Tang Guodong adopted him (like, was it not Tang? I didn't think he'd take his adoptive dad's name), so I just kept his name the same to make things easier. 
> 
> National Taiwan University is one of the most prestigious universities in Taiwan and is in Taipei where I assume History3 is set. I have really no idea what business Shihai Group is actually involved in, so I just went with plastics, since it seems like something that is somewhat plausible? 
> 
> I know we didn't get much interaction between Tang Guodong and Hongye in show, but I feel like they must have been close since she and Tang Yi were both essentially adopted by him?
> 
> Cheng Youqing and Li Daren are both the leads from the Taiwanese drama 'In Time With You '(which was fun), and Cheng Youqing is such a go-getter that I feel like her and Hongye would get along? And did you catch the History2 reference with Xiaoxiao? (Let's pretend that Hongye went to the same high school and is in the same year as Qiu Zixuan and imagine what that's like). The Hongye section was a bit long because I did want to explore her character some more. The idea of Tang Yi's earrings coming from Hongye was an idea bounced around tumblr. 
> 
> I wanted to show Meng Shaofei gradually worming his way into Tang Yi's life, so I hope that worked out. (I also wanted to show the reverse, but since Meng Shaofei only had one section versus Tang Yi's five, I know it was a bit compressed.) 
> 
> Tang Yi's conversation with Andy is a deliberate parallel to Meng Shaofei's conversation with Zhao Zi in the first episode. 
> 
> Do I think they had sex on Tang Yi's birthday, um yeah. Hopefully not against the window, but it feels pretty likely. 
> 
> So originally, the story wasn't planned to end with a proposal, but then Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage, and also it's Pride, and I haven't written the dual proposal thing from the POV of one of the ppl proposing, so I thought it would be fun. So why isn't Andy in the proposal birthday party: I feel like Tang Yi would mainly just want family present since he doesn't really seem the birthday party sort?  
> (Remember, he was celebrating his own birthday by himself in his room in the dark in that episode). And I will admit that Shaofei yelling Zhao Zi during that scene was based on Will/Elizabeth's marriage scene in Pirates of the Carribbean 3 (terrible movie, but that scene was beautiful)
> 
> Some cut lines/ideas that never made it into the fic:  
> "I'm Li Zhen-jie's favorite! Of course she would approve of me marrying her son! I'm the best candidate!" Shaofei protested. (didn't make it in mainly because I feel like his biological parents would be a sore spot for Tang Yi....)  
> -Hongye helping both Tang Yi and Meng Shaofei pick out rings and therefore knowing that both of them are about to propose to each other and just laughing


End file.
